Posted By :  Admin1

New Delhi: Foreign Medical Graduates undergoing internship at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Medical College in Vidisha have filed a plea in the Supreme Court, seeking redress for the non-payment of stipend during their compulsory internship. The Supreme Court of India, with a bench led by Justices B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, issued a notice on January 23, 2024, in response to the consideration of the plea. The plea drew upon circulars issued by the Apex Medical Commission dated March 4, 2022, and May 19, 2022, to substantiate its case. As per these circulars, the petitioner argued that the stipend for Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) should be on par with that provided to Indian Medical Graduates. The plea underscored that a notice from the Government Medical Education Department, Madhya Pradesh, addressed to the Commissioner of Medical Education, Bhopal, mandated a stipend of Rs 12,760 for interns, effective from April 1, 2022. The petitioners began their internship on April 1, 2023. However, the stipend of Rs 12,760 was disbursed to the batch, consisting of 69 students, only for the initial two months. Subsequently, from June 2023 onward, the students did not receive any stipend. The plea emphasized that Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in other states, such as Assam, are receiving stipends. The failure to provide a stipend to FMGs for their services is deemed as severe harassment and a violation of natural justice principles, as it compromises the fundamental rights of the FMGs.